![]() STEP allows the power provider to enact fees for sustainable transportation and energy programs.ĭavis Hospital and Medical Center installed an electric vehicle charging station last May through non-profit Leaders for Clean Air. The program is part of Rocky Mountain Power’s controversial and complicated STEP program, approved by the Utah Legislature last year. Some of the remaining funds would be used to incentivize EV purchases and a fleet of EV rental vehicles. Partners like Maverik gas stations will cover around half of the installation costs. Rocky Mountain Power also plans to help install 1,300 level 2 chargers in residential homes.Īlong with the $4 million from the Department of Energy, the plan would take another $6 million from PacifiCorp, Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company, and PacifiCorp’s “Project Team,” which includes cities, universities and private businesses.Īround $7 million of those funds are earmarked for charging stations. Some of those level 2 chargers will go to businesses. Map taken from Rocky Mountain Power’s “WESTSMART EV: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership” grant proposal to the U.S. ![]() In year three, the utility would expand its EV charging system along I-80 and I-84, running through Wyoming, western Idaho and western Utah, with 29 more rapid chargers and 320 secondary chargers. In year two, Rocky Mountain Power plans to add 20 more rapid stations and 190 level 2 stations, extending north to Yellowstone National Park and south to the “Mighty Five” national parks in Utah. The level 2 chargers are similar to outlets used for dryers or ovens, and take around 8 hours to recharge a car.Īll of that first-year infrastructure would be installed along I-15 on the Wasatch Front. Those DC fast chargers juice up most EVs in around 20 to 30 minutes. The first year, they’ll help install 16 DC fast chargers and 125 level 2 AC chargers. Most of the utility’s proposed program will roll out over three years. Rocky Mountain Power submitted a grant application for its “WestSmart EV” or “Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership” program to the Department of Energy on Sept. RELATED: 8 things you should know about Utah’s air inversions.The Governor’s Office of Energy Development is encouraging more Utah drivers to go electric, since EVs don’t produce tailpipe emissions. Rocky Mountain Power is seeking a multi-million dollar grant to, in part, build an extensive rapid-charging system for electric vehicles throughout the Intermountain West. Around 44 percent of the particulate pollution Wasatch Front residents experience during winter inversions comes from the tailpipes of cars and trucks.Įlectric vehicles are charged at a Level 3 charging station at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City. The power provider also cited a commitment to improving air quality as one of its driving motivations. RELATED: Electric car owners help each other track down scarce charging stations.“We have received a number of inquiries from customers in all sectors … asking what we can do, as a company, to provide for electric vehicle charging,” said Dave Eskelsen, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power. “Of course, really, the only impediment to installing electrical vehicle charing stations is the capital cost of installing stations themselves.” Department of Energy approves $4 million in funding, drivers could see rapid chargers every 50 to 100 miles along Interstate 15, Interstate 80, Interstate 84 and Interstate 70, running through Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Outside of Salt Lake City, Utah has so few charging stations that EV owners often have to maneuver a few creative solutions to get around.īut if the U.S. The idea is to reduce the “range anxiety” that prevents motorists from buying the vehicles, which can only travel around 80 miles before they need a recharge. SALT LAKE CITY - Rocky Mountain Power is seeking a multi-million dollar grant to, in part, build an extensive rapid-charging system for electric vehicles throughout the Intermountain West.
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